Gynecologic Care on Cusp of Prominence

The Walter Reed Army Medical Center’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology is a clinical and basic research facility that has focused on specialty training in the treatment of gynecologic malignancies over the past two decades.

The division’s clinical operations work set the stage for growth in research activities, which have been acknowledged with numerous national awards over the past six years, including the “Best of Oncology” at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The opening of the Gynecologic Cancer Center (GCC) at Walter Reed in 2005 complemented the vision imagined by LTC Larry Maxwell, M.D., the center’s director, when the initial research program began.

“The nationally renowned clinical care and training program in gynecologic oncology at Walter Reed allowed us to take the initial step of creating research programs that facilitated creation of a center of excellence, provided unique protocols of more contemporary and innovative therapies, and enabled the center to compete with civilian contemporaries on a research front,” Maxwell said.

The center’s scope was broadened with the establishment of the Gynecological Cancer Center for the Study of Health Disparities and the Gynecologic Disease Program (GDP). The disparities program provides critical research on the reasons behind poor outcomes in minority patients with gynecologic cancer, while the GDP offers state-of-the-art clinical and basic research capabilities. Rounding out the center’s offerings is the Obesity and Cancer Program, which examines the relationship between obesity and endometrial cancer.

The center’s researchers concentrate on four core fronts: early detection, molecular profiling, prevention strategies and treatment. The scientists are developing novel therapeutics and treatments, finding optimal levels of prevention, using molecular profiling to facilitate delivery of current care, and developing proteomic profiles for early detection.

“Our diversified programs are essential in expanding the GCC’s contributions to gynecologic cancer research. The military has really come onto the scene. We are not just a high-end clinical and training program, we are now a real research institute to be reckoned with,” Maxwell said.

The center is also working to earn selection as a Specialized Program of Research Excellence, a prestigious designation given by the National Cancer Institute. The designation would include a substantial grant to support research programs and position the center at the forefront of gynecologic disease research.

“The designation would be a great moment in our research efforts, justifying the hard work that all of our researchers have done. GCC is very confident in receiving the designation, which will allow us to fine-tune our focus on our strengths and in the direction we need to go,” Maxwell said.

The center is a collaborative research program involving Walter Reed Army Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, Windber Research Institute, Georgetown University Medical Center and HJF.